From a scientific standpoint, Saturday’s total eclipse of the moon doesn’t mean much.

But Barbara Anthony-Twarog, professor of physics and astronomy at Kansas University, predicted people would go out in droves to observe the event nonetheless, just as they have throughout history.

“The moon getting gobbled up, I guess, is a little scary,” she said.

But, she warned, don’t be late getting outside.

The moon will be covered for just 25 minutes, the shortest eclipse since 1936.

“If you wait too long, you’ll miss the whole thing,” Anthony-Twarog said.

Earth will completely block the sun’s rays from the moon — the time period known as “totality” — from 7:06 p.m. to 7:31 p.m. Saturday. The entire eclipse will begin at 5:32 p.m. and end at 10:22 p.m.

The short total eclipse is due to the Earth passing through the edge of the sun’s rays Saturday instead of going through the heart of the light, which can result in eclipses that last an hour or more.

Still, Anthony-Twarog said Saturday’s eclipse would be relatively accessible for skygazers. It’s not in the middle of the night when many people are sleeping, and it is best viewed with binoculars or the naked eye, not with a high-dollar telescope.

Of course, that’s if the weather cooperates. Ross Janssen, 6News meteorologist, said he expected the weather to be cloudy Saturday night, with temperatures in the upper 40s about the time of the eclipse.

Lawrence amateur astronomer Gary Webber will be among those with an eye on the sky Saturday. He suggested using binoculars pointed to the east-northeast, where the moon will be from 25 to 30 degrees up from the horizon. He also suggested finding a relatively dark place for viewing, and spending at least 15 minutes outside to acclimate your eyes to the darkness.

Webber said he wasn’t sure what the moon would look like Saturday. Sometimes active volcanoes send particles into Earth’s atmosphere that make the moon appear red or orange. No such eruptions are occurring now, but he said the wildfires in California could have an effect on the moon’s color.

Anthony-Twarog said some astronomers use the light around eclipses to study Earth’s atmospheric conditions, but there aren’t many other scientific advantages to the events. Plus, they happen often compared with other astronomical events — the last two lunar eclipses were in January 2001 and May 2003, and another will occur May 4, 2004.

Astronomy Associates of Lawrence, of which Webber is a member, isn’t planning any eclipse-viewing events Saturday.

¢NASA — Lunar Eclipse¢U.S. Naval Observatory – Lunar Eclipse Computer

“It’s so accessible very few people go to the trouble of having parties,” he said. “It’s not a terribly big deal, but I’ll certainly go outside and watch.”